Picking up pieces

The debris may have been cleared from most places in Poonch town, but the residents are yet to come to terms with the loss of life and property in the intense Pakistani shelling on May 7 — after precision strikes by the Indian armed forces at terror camps deep inside Pakistan and in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as part of Operation Sindoor. Over three weeks later, an eerie calm prevails in the town, broken by the sirens of vehicles of senior officials and political leaders who have been visiting the families of 14 persons, including four minors, who died in the shelling. Since Poonch is not very close to the Line of Control, the long-range artillery shelling from across the border came as a shock to the residents last month. In the interior areas, splinter-riddled shutters of shops are a common sight. Many shells struck in the residential areas — houses were damaged, roofs caved in. Though life seems to be limping back to normal, locals say many people who fled to safer places have still not returned. Most went to Mandi (in Poonch) and Jammu when the shelling started. Many also fear a repeat of the shelling. Residents whose houses got severely damaged in the shelling say they are awaiting the compensation to rebuild. At least six shells landed in Kamsar area, including in an open field. Due to the impact of the blasts, a large number of houses were severely damaged. Gurcharan Singh, whose house bore the impact of two shells, says the joint family of three brothers and their mother had taken shelter in a room on the ground floor of the three-storey house. “The bombs exploded within a time gap of one to two minutes. We did not try to leave Poonch. However, when I came to the roof to check the structure, I found a big hole there,” he says, pointing to the damage. “We are thankful that there was no loss of life, but we have incurred a major financial loss. We have learnt that a meagre compensation has been proposed by the administration for those whose houses have been damaged. The authorities need to reconsider it,” he says.

In a narrow lane near Christ School, residents are still in disbelief over the deaths of 12-year-old twins Urwa and Zain. They were killed when a shell exploded near their house, shattering doors and windows. A few blocks away, the parents of Vihaan Bhargav, 13, are still in a state of shock over the death of their only son. The family was trying to flee to Jammu when a shell burst near their car, killing Vihaan. All the three deceased were students of Christ School. Several residents who sustained injuries are still undergoing treatment at different hospitals, including Government Medical College in Rajouri, Jammu and some private hospitals in Punjab. Surgeries, including amputations, were conducted on many who suffered splinter injuries.

At Syndicate Mohalla, having a significant Sikh population, the families of two members of the community who died in the shelling are at a loss for words. The octogenarian parents of one of the victims, Ranjit Singh, 44, sit on a bed in a quiet, dark room. Three chairs have been placed inside the room, as mourners take turns to console the grieving family.

Of the seven siblings, Ranjit was unmarried and took care of his parents while running a small grocery shop. His mother Amrit Kaur says he met with an accident two years ago and a rod was inserted in his leg due to which he used to limp. “On the morning of May 7, he had gone to see the damage in the locality when a shell exploded near him. My son had got another house constructed but lived with us,” she says, tears rolling down her eyes. Her husband Joga Singh, an ex-serviceman, is overcome with emotion and is unable to speak.

At the home of another member of the community, Amreek Singh, who also died in the shelling, his wife Jasmeet Kaur says she doesn’t know how she will raise her three children, including two girls. At a gurdwara in the Mohalla, a shattered wall shows the impact of a shell that hit the shrine. The splinters pierced through the wall inside the main hall. The huge civilian death toll and injuries to over 50 people in the shelling has resulted in a sense of distrust. A common sentiment is that some lives could have been saved if the officials had come on ground to render help and give directions, like in the neighbouring district of Rajouri. There, Additional Deputy Commissioner Raj Kumar Thapa lost his life in the shelling on May 10 while performing his duty. The Poonch district administration, they claim, has lost touch with the residents. Narinder Singh, district chief of the gurdwara management committee, however, differs. He asserts that Deputy Commissioner Vikas Kundal was in touch with him during the shelling and arranged for shelter in safer areas. A total of four members of the Sikh community were killed in Pakistani shelling in the district. Narinder Singh rues another fact. Many lives could have been saved, he believes, if the government hospitals had adequate staff strength and well-equipped ambulances to carry patients. “Even as the administration put to use all the resources at hand, Poonch is an ignored district as there is a severe staff shortage at government hospitals. The shelling is a wake-up call for the government to fill all vacant posts of doctors and technical staff at hospitals in the region,” he says. Health Minister Sakina Itoo had conceded during the Assembly session in March that many hospitals in Jammu and Kashmir were grappling with shortage of staff. The government has assured that steps are being taken to fill the vacancies. In Poonch’s Sukha Katha area, the death of Mohammad Akram is an irreparable loss for his wife Fareeda Bi and their six children. Akram, a daily-wager, was the sole breadwinner. A shell exploded outside his home, piercing the iron gate and killing him on the spot. Fareeda Bi is worried as to how she will secure the future of their six children, including four daughters. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, during his visit to Poonch, announced a relief of Rs 10 lakh each to the families of those killed in the shelling. “While no compensation can replace a lost life, it is our responsibility to provide immediate support and this relief to the families of the deceased is not a measure of the value of life, but a step to help them cope during this difficult time,” he said. Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, during his visit, announced government jobs for the kin of the deceased. The compensation for damages to the houses will be announced after a thorough assessment, it is learnt. Besides compensation, locals are also demanding construction of bunkers in the town so that they can take shelter during any cross-border shelling in future. The topography of Poonch makes it an easy target for the Pakistani army. The district is surrounded by hills that are occupied by Pakistan from where artillery guns fired projectiles targeting Poonch residents last month. Despite its distance from the border, the town falls in the range of artillery guns. As Poonch had never witnessed such heavy shelling in the past, the administration had not thought of constructing bunkers in the town. However, villages along the LoC in Poonch, that have witnessed similar shelling in the past, do have community and individual bunkers. Akram’s elder brother, Mohammad Bashir, argues that had there been bunkers in the town, most of the people would have been saved. “My brother died as there was no place to take shelter. No one had thought that shells would reach the town; it was considered a safe place.” Teams from the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department, Revenue Department, Animal and Sheep Husbandry Department, the Public Health Engineering Department, Public Works Department and the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana are already assessing the damage due to shelling in villages across the district. The locals also rue the deplorable condition of the Poonch-Jammu National Highway, the construction of which is ongoing. Residents say that many locals chose to flee to safer areas within the district due to the “extremely poor” condition of the road. They want the pace of work accelerated on the vital road linking Poonch to Jammu. The frequent visits of VIPs to meet the families of the victims have had an unintended impact on local businesses, too, that are already grappling with losses. Mohammad Imran, who runs a food cart near the bus stand, says the police ask them to wind up their businesses for the day for security purposes whenever a minister visits. Adequate compensation, say Poonch residents, is something they cannot do without, but that’s not their sole concern. An assurance of safety, improved facilities in the district and a quicker administrative response in such critical times are basic needs too. As a resident puts it, “There can be no excuse now to let things be. Poonch and other border areas need visible change.”

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